Vaporizing apparatus



March 14, 1939. A N. SOMERS 2,150,295

VAPORIZING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 24, 1957 Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines in which liquid fuel such as gasoline is vaporized by passage through a carburetor. My invention relates particularly to certain improved apparatus for supplying air to a carburetor and for maintaining a predetermined and uniform excess air pressure on the intake of said carburetor.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of parts of an internal combustion engine having my improvements applied thereto;

' Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of certain parts appearing in Fig. 1 and embodying my invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of a relief valve structure; and

Fig. 5 is an end view thereof, looking in the di- :5 rection of the arrow 5 in Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 1, I have shown portions of an internal combustion engine l0 provided with the usual air circulating fan ll, positioned adjacent the rear face of a radiator l2, indicated $0 in broken lines. The engine I0 is also provided with the usual gas intake l4 having an uptake l5, connected at its lower end to a carburetor l6 which has an air intake l1 and a gasoline supply connection 18.

55 Theparts thus far described, in and of themselves, form no part of my present invention and may be of any usual or commercial type.

For the purposes of my invention, I provide an air storage chamber mounted on or freely connected with the air intake ll of the carburetor It. A pipe or conduit 22 extends forward from the chamber 20 and is preferably provided with an enlarged or bell-shaped forward end 23, which is located iust at the rear of the fan II and in 45 the path of the air blast drawn through the radiator l2. A screen or air filter 24 is provided in the enlarged front end portion 23 of the pipe 22.

The air chamber 20 is provided with a relief pipe having an outwardly opening relief valve 50 3| (Figs. 4 and 5), yieldingly moved to normal closed position by a spring 32. g The air chamber 20 may also have a removable cap 33, so that the interior of the chamber may be accessible for cleaning.

When the engine l0 and fan II are in operation, a strong current of fresh and relatively cool air enters the enlarged or bell-shaped end 23 of the pipe 22 and is forced through the pipe to the air chamber 20. This air chamber 20 is of such capacity that a substantial amount of this fresh air will be banked or stored therein. This fresh 5 air is maintained at excess pressure, slightly above atmospheric, by the action of the fan H.

The excess pressure is regulated and held substantially uniform by the relief valve 3| on the relief pipe 30. When the air pressure rises to a 10 predetermined point, the valve 3| opens and further rise in pressure is prevented.

It is thus evident that my improved apparatus provides a fresh air supply for the carburetor l6 which is ample in volume and which is uniformly 15 maintained at a predetermined excess pressure slightly above atmospheric. Furthermore, this fresh cool air retains a substantially larger moisture content than hot air taken from the immediate vicinity of the highly heated engine, which go is the usual practice.

It has been found by actual test that an engine in which the carburetor is supplied with cool fresh air according to my invention and under slight excess pressure develops substantially increased power from a given amount of fuel, produces less carbon, starts quicker and runs more smoothly. The percentage of carbon monoxide is also substantially reduced.

Having thus described m invention and the 0 advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

Vaporizing apparatus for an internal combustion engine having a cooling fan, comprising a carburetor having an air intake, a vertical cylindrical air storage chamber of substantial capacity freely connected through its bottom to said carburetor intake, said storage chamber being of greater horizontal diameter than vertical length 40 and having a removable top cover to facilitate cleaning, an air supply pipe for said chamber having an enlarged front end positioned adjacent the rear face of said fan and in the blast of air therefrom and having its rear end connected into 46 the front side wall of said storage chamber, said supply pipe being of very much less diameter than said storage chamber, an air filter in said air supply pipe, a relatively small vent pipe extending outward from the rear wall of said stor- 50 age chamber, and a yielding relief valve mounted at the outer end of said vent pipe and effective to maintain the excess air pressure produced by said air blast in said storage chamber at a predetermined and constant amount.

AMOS N. SOMERS. 

